A variety of network services enables a user to learn about the presence of other computer user's on a network such as an Intranet or the Internet, and to communicate with them in real-time. Such services are generally referred to as instant messaging. Instant messaging services provide users with the ability to view the on-line state or send messages to other users.
Instant messaging services provide a variety of function to users. For example, the instant messaging services maintain state changes (e.g. user is on-line, user is offline, user is idle). Additionally, the instant messaging services act as a switch board through which users can establish communication sessions without requiring a direct network connection between users. When a user desires to communicate with another user, the user sends a message to the instant messaging service, which then sends a message to the destination user to connect in a session with the sending user.
Instant messaging services typically use user handles for identifying users. A user handle (also known as “account name,” “logon name” or “screen name”) is a representation of the user's identity that is both unique and persistent. The user handle is typically equivalent to an e-mail address. As with email addresses, the handle is independent of a particular computing device and can be used to identify a user on any computer system that can connect to the service with the requisite client software.
In typical instant messenger communications, a user to user communication is temporal. That is, at the end of a communication session, the communication between a pair of users is not saved or recorded other than during a particular session. After the session ends, such as when a user logs out, the communication is lost.
As noted above, instant messaging services facilitate communication among users by the use of handles. As such, there is a certain amount of anonymity in the communications. In other words, when a user signs up for an account and an associated handle, there is typically no verification of the information provided by that user. For example, a male could sign up as a female. A young person can sign up as an older person and vice-versa. As a result, communication can and does occur between complete strangers or between users pretending to be peers of other users, for example.